The New Astronomy: Chapter 2

Practical Focusing 

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Why Focusing Is Critical
Focusing Visually
Focusing Process

Software-Assisted Focusing
Brightest Pixel Focusing
Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) Focusing
Focusing Techniques: Subframe Focusing

Aids to Focusing: Exploiting Diffraction
 Masking Tape
Focusing Masks
Other Focusing Aids

Alternative Focusers
 The JMI NGF-S
The Optec TCF
Other Focusing Devices

 

CCD cameras represent some pretty fancy technology, but in many ways they are just like ordinary cameras. As with the traditional film camera, the difference between a snapshot and a great photograph lies as much with the photographer as with the equipment.

CCD focusing is done in an iterative fashion, taking test exposures and then examining the results. The various camera control programs allow you to speed up the process so you can get focusing out of the way efficiently.

You may have heard that focusing is difficult, or time consuming, or just plain annoying. It doesn’t have to be. You do need to do extremely careful focusing to get the best possible results, and it does take some care and patience to focus successfully. A little extra time with focusing is will worth the effort, however, because good focusing is probably the single most important ingredient in a good image.

In this chapter, you will learn everything you need to know to take first-class images with a CCD camera. You’ll learn:

  • Why focusing is so critically important
  • How to achieve best focus every time
  • Tips for visually adjusting focus
  • Software aids for achieving best focus
  • Hardware aids for achieving best focus
  • Alternative focusing mechanisms

To read straight through the chapter, click on the Next buttons above and below each section of text. Or click on the topic of interest to you in the list of topics at left.

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